Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

I’m looking forward to attending the South Central Principal Conference in Broome next week. It promises to be a rich week of learning, particularly around Indigenous culture, with visits planned to remote schools in Beagle Bay and Derby.  It will be wonderful to share photos and raise cultural awareness with the students when I return. 

Spending time with my fellow principals will also be incredibly valuable, with the chance to learn from their wisdom and insights. There is a strong sense of shared understanding among us, we all know how complex and demanding this role can be. Coming together for a week will strengthen our support network.

Callum Mills and Laura Zeeng will be serving as joint Acting Principals during my absence next week.

School Wide Improvement

Callum, Laura, Nonie, and I attended the School Wide Improvement Forum yesterday, along with approximately 250 colleagues from Catholic schools across the Southern Region. It was a valuable opportunity to review our Annual Action Plan and begin planning the next steps toward achieving our goals for 2025. Once again, we had the opportunity to work with Dr Simon Breakspear, who guided us through a range of practical tools designed to help us achieve our goals.

As a reminder, our 2025 goals focus on embedding our phonics program in Prep to Year 2, strengthening students’ understanding of place value in Mathematics, and fostering a sense of psychological safety among our senior students.

The forum also provided a chance to share and reflect on our practices with leaders from neighbouring schools, allowing us to learn from each other’s experiences.

Mother's Day celebrations

The St Finbar’s community came together once again for a wonderful Mother’s Day breakfast last Friday. The sunshine certainly added to the occasion, but it was the great atmosphere and Anna’s delicious food that made the morning special. Special mention needs to made of Anna, who arrived at school at 2:30 a.m. to begin her preparations.

Thanks also to the Year 3 parent representatives who put so much time and effort into organising the event. We followed breakfast with a heartwarming Mother’s Day-themed assembly presented by 2M. The Year 2s did a great job of sharing all the things that they love about their mums. 

Thank you as well to the Year 4 parents who organised and ran the Mother’s Day stall on Thursday, and to the Year 3 parents for hosting the Mother’s Day lunch at Mya Tiger. From all reports, the lunch was a great success.

Change of Date – School Closure Day

Please note that the date for our next school closure day in August has changed due to the availability of our presenters. The new date is Friday, August 8. We hope this does not cause too much inconvenience.

Traffic Reminder

A friendly reminder that cars are not permitted to turn right onto Centre Road from the school between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day. This restriction helps ease traffic flow and avoid frustration for others exiting the school. Please be aware that the council has issued fines in the past for illegal right-hand turns.

New Sandpit

We’re excited to share that the long-awaited sandpit has finally been filled with sand—and it's already become a very popular spot! This new addition was made possible thanks to the last year's fundraising efforts of our 2024 Parents and Friends Association. Thank you for your continued support.

Take care and God bless,

Michelle Hill